Inspired by a Dream
by Blue-Eyes-Baka
Summary: AU. Sora Strife's parents were killed by the mysterious 13th Order, and now, are they coming after him? Yaoi. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

I woke up screaming for the fifth night in a row. Roxas woke up immediately, and two minutes later, Squall and Cloud were at my door. The lights were turned on and I closed my eyes at the unwelcome brightness. I eventually opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the light, but it felt like my eyes were burning.

"Sora, are you okay?" I looked up and saw the concerned face of my oldest brother. "Did you have another nightmare?"

I guess I should explain a little…Long story short, I'm broken. I have nightmares almost every night and my brothers just won't stop worrying about me. I'm bordering on the edge of paranoia, but for some reason my friends still care. I don't understand all the time, but I guess it's human nature?

"Sorry," I apologized. I woke them up again.

"Sora, are you okay?" he asked me again.

"I'm fine, Cloud," I replied. "Just…go back to bed," I laid down and pulled my covers up over my head. After about three minutes, I heard Cloud and Squall walk out of the room and Roxas laid back down in his bed. The lights flickered off.

I couldn't get back to sleep. Either I couldn't or I didn't want to. My nightmares are about something that happened about a year ago…

You see, there's this gang in Twilight Town (where I live). They call themselves the 13th Order…They destroyed all of the other gangs in the town, and they killed my parents. I was there at the time…they didn't see me, but my oldest brother Cloud seems to think that they might come back for me, so he makes my and twin and I share a room.

The 13th Order is made up of 7 members, and they always have their faces hidden. They always vanish before the police arrive, and their crimes have gone from small thefts to full blown attacks and murders. Their thefts of banks and murdering of important political figures have put Twilight Town in a state of worry. Everyone's paranoid that their child or someone they know is a member of the 13th Order, and prices have risen drastically, which is really why my brothers and I live in such this sorry apartment.

Squall and Cloud keep arguing, and it's all because of me. I can hear them sometimes, usually when they think I'm asleep. Squall thinks I really need therapy and that Cloud should stop flipping out over the tiniest things, and that my mental state is weak and I'm traumatized. Cloud argues back that we don't have the money for any professional help and I'm fine with my friends. He admits that my mental state is weak, but says that I could be the next target of the 13th Order, and he doesn't want to lose me. Cloud's protective of us, but especially protective of me. He never lets me go anywhere without Roxas or one of my friends and I always have to be home before dark.

I must've fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I remember was seeing sunlight pouring in through my window. Roxas was still asleep in his bed, and according to my clock, it was 10.30. Which was weird…on a Saturday, Cloud usually has me up before 8.00. I got out of bed, not bothering to change out of my shorts and over sized shirt, and walked dazedly to the kitchen.

Cloud was sat at the kitchen table with his head in his arms. He was already dressed in a casual black T-shirt and blue jeans. I couldn't see Squall anywhere, and I couldn't figure out if Cloud was awake or not, so I just left him alone. I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat across from Cloud and began eating. Cloud hadn't moved, so he was either deep in thought, asleep or dead.

"How long have you been awake?" Cloud asked, looking up.

"Only a few minutes," I replied. "Why didn't you come and wake me up?"

"Because you barely sleep after you have a nightmare, and you've been tired all week," Cloud replied. "I figured we could all do with a sleep in,"

"Why are you still awake, then?" I asked. "You try to do so much by yourself. You should just relax once in a while,"

"I don't feel like I can," Cloud admitted.

I got up and put my bowl and spoon in the sink, then replied to Cloud. "It's because of me, isn't it?"

My brother looked at me confused. "What?"

"It's because I'm broken…You haven't relaxed since mum and dad were killed, and you've been trying to become like a parent to Squall, Roxas and I. But you're always fretting about me…You can't relax because I'm broken, right?" This was the first time I'd voiced my feelings to anyone.

"Sora…," I turned to Cloud. "You're not broken. You're just…Sora, it's not your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine. Don't think like it's all your fault. I push this on myself, and you know I'd do anything to protect you, Roxas and Squall,"

"I'm just what?" I asked. Cloud looked confused. "You said 'you're not broken, you're just…' and then trailed off,"

Cloud shook his head. "You're just you. You're not insane and you're not broken. You're Sora,"

I knew that was a lie. I've heard you, Cloud…I've heard you agree with Squall that I have a weak mental state and that I'm only getting worse. There's no point in lying to me.

"I'm gonna go get changed," I said quietly, walking to my room. I walked over to my desk and noticed that my phone was flashing with a missed message alert. I flipped open the phone and found a text from my friend Kairi.

_Meet us at the park at 11.00 with Roxas, kay? We're gonna hit the shops, so bring money!_

I smiled to myself…No matter how broken I am, my friends never leave me. My friends...Kairi, Axel, Zexion, Demyx…and of course, my brothers. But only Roxas really hangs out with me, since Axel's his boyfriend.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Roxas practically launched a pillow at the back of my head.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

At 11.00, Roxas and I left our apartment to go to the park and meet up with our friends. Roxas was hyper all the way there, but I just felt tired and slightly hollow.

It's not that I don't like hanging out with our friends, I just…I don't know what's wrong with me. Of course I do—I'm broken.

The 13th Order hasn't moved for a while, so people are getting even more paranoid than they were. I just distracted myself by thinking about my friends.

Kairi was my first non-relative friend. She's in my class, and has been since I was 6. She's always trying to find me a date, saying that maybe if I found a loved one, I'd stop having such low self-esteem.

Axel and Roxas are huge tech geeks. And by this, I mean they're amazed by those new Robot toys and things like that, and they're always experimenting with technology and pulling things apart to see how they work (they usually have help, though, from one of my neighbours—Vexen). Axel's very brave, but Roxas is scared extremely easily. I met Axel about a month after he started dating Roxas, about two years ago.

Zexion's the smartest person I've ever known. He practically lives in the library, and always seems to be carrying a book. While on the outside he appears to be anti-social and 'emo', he's actually a very nice guy with a pretty good sense of humour. I met Zexion because he's studying therapy and stuff, and my Guidance Counselor (Aerith—she's actually Cloud's girlfriend. Small world, huh?) Suggested that Zexion helped me a little, and we became friends.

Zexion's boyfriend is Demyx, who's bubbly and hyper almost 24/7. He loves to listen to, write and play music, and always seems to be with Zexion. You can't have one without the other. I met Demyx through Zexion when we all went to the movies one night.

Roxas and I arrived at the park and saw our friends sitting by the small fountain in the centre. Axel noticed us first, and when he waved at us, Roxas sped up and went ahead to meet his boyfriend.

I walked up slower and greeted them tiredly.

"You okay, Sora?" Kairi asked me. I smiled at her as if to answer 'yeah, I'm fine'. She obviously didn't believe me, but opted not to nitpick. "Right, we all get to choose a store to hit today!" She changed the subject. "I choose that new clothing store that opened up yesterday!"

"How can people be opening new stores when we're in a financial crisis?" Demyx pointed out. "Maybe it's just to keep the people's spirits up," he answered his own question. "I wanna check out Aqua Musics," he added.

"Library," Zexion gave his default response.

"I wanna check out Hot Topic!" Roxas declared. Axel agreed with him, and added that we wanted to check out the Discovery Store too.

"Where do you want to go, Sora?" Demyx asked me.

"I don't really wanna go anywhere specific," I said. I'm not one for shopping, but I liked being dragged along by my friends. It's difficult to explain…Also, I hate putting in my own opinions and stuff into conversation. I'm fine with what other people are doing. "How late do you think we'll be?" I asked.

"Well, we'll start shopping now, but we'll probably only get to one store before lunch. We'll go to a café or something for lunch, and then continue shopping," Kairi said. "Don't worry; you'll be home before dark,"

"Not that 13th Order has made any moves lately," Zexion pointed out. "They've been quiet,"

"Which is why it's important to get home before dark," Demyx protested. "They're probably planning something really big, so it's just become more dangerous!" Oddly that logic made sense.

"Right, let's get shopping!" Kairi interjected, desperate to change the subject.

Kairi probably bought a whole closet's worth in Witch's Wardrobe (that new clothes store). We were currently sat at a table outside a fast food restaurant. Roxas and Axel had gone to get our food, so Kairi, Demyx, Zexion and I were the only ones waiting. Kairi was going on about how I should find myself a date.

"I mean come on; a love-honey will do you good!" Kairi said. I turned to Zexion (I really thought of him as my therapist, even if my brother's didn't.)

"Actually, she's right," Zexion replied. "Having someone to love will do your mind good. It might boost your self-esteem, too,"

"But…I can't just look at a girl and say 'oh hey, let's date'. It doesn't work like that!"

"We're twins, so you're probably like me," Roxas said, placing down a tray of food onto the table. Axel put another tray down and they both sat down in their chairs. "Which is bad for you, Kairi," Roxas added.

"Oh, too bad for me," Kairi said in mock sadness. "It's not like I hang out with five gay guys. Oh, my hopes have been dashed!" We all laughed as we took our food from the trays.

"So, Sora, why do you look so tired?" Kairi asked me. We were still sat outside the fast food place, but most of us had finished now. Demyx and Zexion were flicking fries at each other, having fun in their own little world.

"It's nothing," I lied, taking a sip from my Mountain Dew.

"He had another nightmare," Roxas said. "And probably didn't get back to sleep,"

"I did sleep, actually," I protested. "AND I slept in!"

"Cloud let you sleep in?" Axel asked. "That's a first,"

"He said we could all do with the sleep, but I think he was lying," I said. "I think maybe he forgot, or something, or maybe he slept in. He's been pushing himself too much…and it's probably my fault,"

"Saying things like that cannot be good for your self-esteem," Kairi said. "Right, Zexion?"

"What? Oh, yes—you have to be positive about things and not put yourself down," Zexion said, pulling himself out of his fry-throwing world for a moment. "Try to be optimistic,"

"Easier said than done," I replied. I sighed and took another sip of my drink. "Some days I just feel like it'd be better if I never existed. I mean, the 13th Order is probably gonna come and kill me and some point anyway…that's what Cloud thinks,"

"Cloud doesn't think it in a bad way," Roxas said, serious for a moment. "He cares about you, and really, he's just scared. He's trying to protect you,"

"And don't think that way," Kairi said harshly. "It's not good for your mental health,"

We ended up staying out longer than we expected. Roxas and Axel had to go to home because they needed to meet someone on an online game or something, and Zexion and Demyx went back to their place. So, Kairi and I were walking back to my apartment building. It wasn't dark yet, but getting there.

Kairi suddenly got a call on her phone and had to leave urgently. We were still ten or so minutes from my home, but I said I'd be fine. Kairi, reluctantly, left. I continued walking through the now silent streets.

About five minutes after Kairi left, the sun went down and dark surrounded me.

"Sora,"

I turned around, confused as to why Kairi came back. However, when I turned around, the girl I saw wasn't Kairi. She was as tall as Kairi, but she had blonde hair and was wearing a white dress, and was she…semi-transparent? I must be getting tired…

"Who're you?" I asked.

"Sora, you can't go back," the girl said. "It's dangerous,"

"I can't go back? I can't go back where?"

"You can't go back! It's too dangerous, Sora…,"

"What's too dangerous?"

"Things are going to get worse,"

I heard a loud crash behind me and turned around, but I didn't see anything. When I turned back to the girl, she was gone…I'm having nightmares AND seeing mystery girls now?

I looked at the sky and saw the moon in the sky. I swore loudly and turned around and ran home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

I was running home as quickly as I could, because I knew that Squall and Cloud were going to yell at me for being home after dark. They like me being home before the sun sets, so I'm not in danger of the 13th Order. They haven't made a move for a few days, and the police are starting to get worried. I mean, what if they're planning something really big?

I walked into the under ground parking lot of the apartment building I live it. This apartment building is very cheap, but it's better than some places…this town has really been going downhill since the 13th Order showed up…

I heard people talking quietly right near the elevator I needed to get to. Oh, brilliant…Well, maybe they'll ignore me…

My heart leapt to my throat and I quickly hid behind a support beam. There were seven people back there, and they were all wearing black hoodies, with the hoods up. The 13th Order…I knew it was them.

My heart was pounding so loud it blocked out any other sound, including the people talking. This isn't good…I could text Cloud and tell him…but the light from my phone would catch their attention. What do I do?

It was then that I heard the elevator door opening. I peeked out just slightly, and saw one of my neighbours step out. The members were nowhere to be seen…had I just imagined it? The person from the elevator got into his car and he drove off. I stepped back, and felt myself collide with someone. I spun around, and came face to face with a hooded person (or at least, as face-to-face as you can get with someone hiding their face), just slightly taller than me.

I swore my heart stopped. I backed away from the person, as they reached behind them and pulled out a gun.

"Who are you!?" he asked.

I couldn't reply—my voice had run away. I looked around, desperately trying to find an escape route. Slowly, all the other 13th Order members were emerging from their hiding places. I kept backing up, noting that the only ways out were the main exit, which was blocked off by the members, the elevator, which was too slow, and a path behind me that was blocked off by a gate that was as high as my waist. I felt extremely cornered.

Then the elevator came down. It opened and the person stepped out before any of us got a chance to move. The person that stepped out was…Oh no…

"ROXAS! RUN!" I screamed. The 13th Order members all turned to Roxas, but I kicked the member who was standing in front of me and managed to distract them.

"Sora--?!" Roxas looked around, and it clicked that these were 13th Order members.

I was still backing up, as the 13th Order was advancing on me slowly. Roxas was frozen to the spot—he's very easily scared, and honestly, I was glad. At least he wouldn't try anything stupid, right?

I turned and ran, yelling at Roxas to get back in the elevator. Roxas shouted back that he was going to go and get Cloud, and he got back into the elevator. I collided with the gate and fell over it. I ended up falling in a way that caused my back to collide harshly with the cold, hard concrete. For a moment, I couldn't breath. Then a single 13th Order member jumped over the gate, so I got up and ran as fast as I could.

I'm guessing that he was the only one sent after me. That reduces the number by six, at least. I still couldn't breathe very well, and I had no clue where this path lead. I could hear the person behind me running very fast, and I had no doubt that he'd catch up with me.

Sure enough, he leapt and tackled me to the ground. He pinned me down and pointed his gun at my head.

I stopped struggling in fear of being killed. The member's hood had fallen down, and I felt my heart leap once more—not from fear this time, though.

This person looked about a year or so older than me. He had shoulder length silver hair and the most beautiful blue-green eyes. He was pale, and it was amplified by the darkness of what he was wearing.

Something flickered behind his eyes and I felt his hold on me slacken, but very slightly. "Who are you?" he asked in a harsh voice. When I didn't reply, he pushed the gun against my head as a reminder that he could kill me in a second. "Who are you?" he snapped again.

"S-Sora Strife," I replied nervously.

His eyes widened slightly. "Strife?" he repeated.

"Sora!"

My captor jumped up and pointed his gun as the intruder, who I saw was Cloud. I got up and ran over to Cloud, noticing that the silverette was distracted by Cloud.

The silverette put his gun in his pocket and turned and ran away from Cloud and I, probably realizing there was no more point in threatening us. Plus, his confidence seemed to have lowered a little.

That was when I finally broke down. All of my pent up emotions just escaped. I fell to my knees and started crying, covering my face with my hands. Cloud ran over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Sora, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I shook my head. "No? To which question?" Cloud asked. I couldn't reply verbally, but in my head I knew I was replying to both. I felt Cloud pick me up and take me back up to our apartment.

I'm just a burden…I make people worry, and I'm invading my brother's lives…I think it'd be better for everyone if I was just killed…Or if I never existed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

The next thing I remembered was waking up in my bed. I was laid on my front, and when I tried to move, I could tell why. Sudden pain shot up my spine and took away by breath for a few seconds. I just gasped, clutching at my chest.

I heard someone rush to the side of my bed. I turned around slowly, so I didn't hurt myself again.

"Squall…?" I asked. "What happened?"

"Try not to move," Squall replied. I noted the concern in his voice, which was a rare addition to his usual monotone sound. "Your back got hurt,"

I then remembered everything that happened—the fight with that 13th Order member…The silverette. "Where's Cloud?" I asked.

"He's in the living room with Roxas," Squall replied. "Cloud refused to leave your side, but we got him to relax for a moment. How're you feeling?"

Cloud's stressed because of me…again…I grabbed my blanket and wrapped it around myself, turning away from my brother, ignoring the sharp pain in my chest as I moved. "I want to be alone,"

I heard Squall sigh and leave the room. When I was sure he'd gone, I got up and reached to the door (it was slightly to the left of the headboard on my bed, so I could reach it) and locked it. I tried to stand up, but ended up falling. I picked myself up again and walked slowly over to my bed. The pain in my spine dulled a little as I sat down. I looked at myself in the mirror that sat on the desk (Roxas can be like a girl sometimes…he takes forever doing his hair). There was a bruise forming on my cheek (I wonder where that came from…) and I looked as if I was about to keel over and die. I glanced at the clock quickly… 6.30 PM already? Had I been sleeping all day?

I just make people worry about me…Cloud hasn't been fully relaxed since I started having my nightmares, and Roxas always has to stick around with me, and Squall has to deal with a stressed out Cloud. I just make things worse for people…

My mind slowly drifted and I found myself thinking of the silverette. He was so beautiful…Wait, what am I thinking? He's a 13th Order member, the organization that killed my parents! It's the 13th Order's fault I'm like this!! It's their fault I'm broken!!

I didn't even realize I'd punched the wall until a pain ran up my arm.

"Sora, open the door!" Cloud's voice drifted through the locked door. I walked over to my bed and sat down, not saying anything to my brother. "Sora, open up!"

I reached over and unlocked the door, just as Squall decided to ram the door open with his shoulder. He landed on the floor, somewhat resembling a star fish. He stood up hurriedly and Roxas and Cloud walked in. Squall settled himself down at my desk and Roxas went to sit on his bed. Cloud sat on my bed a few feet away from me.

"How're you feeling?" Cloud asked.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Weren't you supposed to be with your friends today?" I remembered suddenly—he'd made an arrangement to hang out with some of his friends today.

"I cancelled," Cloud explained. "I can hang out with them some other time,"

Another part of my brother's life I managed to ruin… "I'm sorry," I said.

"It's not your fault,"

"Yes it is," I protested. "I…I'm such a burden to you. All of you…I make you worry and I hate doing that to you. I just ruining your lives,"

"Sora--,"

"Why don't you just leave me?! I know I'm broken, I…I hate making you worry about me!"

"Sora, your mental state is slowly deteriorating and I need to stay and make sure you don't go homicidal and kill us all!" Cloud yelled.

A silence fell about the room, and Cloud's expression change told me he'd just processed what he'd said to me. "If you're that worried I'm a ticking time bomb why not just abandon me?!" I yelled back. Swelling emotions caused me to just stand up and run out. I ran out of the apartment building and into the cold outside air. The sun was setting slowly, but I didn't care if I was out all night. I didn't know what I was doing, but it was the only thing I could think of right now.

"Sora,"

I spun around and saw the girl from yesterday.

"Sora, what are you doing?" She asked me.

"What does it look like?" I replied. "I couldn't stand to stay there any longer. I need to find the 13th Order,"

"Are you going to kill them?" Her voice sounded so dead.

I hadn't thought about that. Am I going to kill them? I want to get them back for killing my parents and making me this way…but could I bring myself to kill someone? They deserved it—they kill people without a second thought. Although…some of the people they'd killed really helped out our political problem…not our economic problem, though… "I…,"

"Are you going to kill him?" She asked.

Immediately, an image of the silverette flashed through my mind. "Who are you?!" I demanded.

"They're planning something," she said.

"Answer my question!"

"They're looking for you,"

"Who are?"

"They are,"

"SORA!!"

I whipped around and saw Demyx and Zexion running toward me. I turned around to the girl, but she'd disappeared.

"Sora, are you okay?" Demyx asked. "Cloud said you'd run out and he called us, Kairi and Axel immediately and we all came out looking for you,"

"I'm fine," I snapped.

I looked up when I saw something move behind Demyx and Zexion. My heart leapt when I saw it was the 13th Order…they were going to the apartment. Demyx and Zexion followed my gaze and saw them too.

"That's…,"

I suddenly started running toward them. I heard Demyx and Zexion shout in surprise and start running after me.

I don't care about anything except one thing right now;

Revenge.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

-One Hour Earlier-

"Riku, stop day dreaming!"

I snapped out of my daze and turned to Larxene, one of my fellow 13th Order members. "Sorry, sorry…,"

"The leader's coming, so pay attention!" Saïx snapped at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed…Maybe we can finally get some action? Things have been boring since…

I couldn't stop thinking about that brunette…Sora Strife. Strife…the name of those two our Leader killed a year back. He never told us why, but I think they were leading an investigation to catch us. But Sora…I don't know what it was about him, he just…

"Riku!!" I turned to the pink-haired member that just hit me with his book.

"Marly, that wasn't nice!" Larxene snapped. Luxord laughed and Lexaeus just stood in a corner looking scary.

Our leader walked in and we immediately when quiet.

"Xemnas," Saïx greeting him.

"I know that you've all been getting restless lately," Xemnas began. "But it's all going to become worth it. I know in the past it's only been Saïx and I doing any murders, but now you're all going to play a part,"

"Who's the victim?" Saïx asked.

"If you remember, a year ago, I eliminated the Strife parents," Xemnas continued. "And just yesterday, we ran into their only child…Sora Strife," I felt my heartbeat increase. "We must eliminate him, for he knows the identity of one of us,"

"We can't do that!" I protested. "He hasn't done anything wrong! He's completely innocent!"

"I have to say I'm with Riku on this one," Luxord admitted. "We've never really like murders, but this Sora kid hasn't really done anything wrong…,"

"Look, it's Sora, or you," Xemnas snapped. "I will kill you all if you go against my direct orders," No-one protested. "Now, on with the plan…,"

So, one hour later, we're making our move to the apartment that Sora lives at. It's already dark out, and we're moving as silently as we can.

As I felt the weight of my gun in the pocket of my hoodie, I just can't imagine using it on Sora. He's innocent, and…When I saw him, I felt something…My heart skipped a beat, and even now when I think about him…

We stopped in the car park and went to our hiding places as Xemnas and Saïx made their way to the upper floor.

"Luxord," I turned to my fellow 13th Order member. "Do you serious want to go through with this?"

"To be honest, I think our leader has grown a little…head strong lately. I can barely follow him at all anymore," Luxord admitted. The others agreed.

"And then killing this kid; it's just wrong, y'know?" Larxene said. "I mean, He was completely hopeless when we ran into him the other night,"

"There's no way we can let Xemnas do this," Marluxia said. "We have to stop him,"

They all turned to me. "Any ideas?" Lexaeus asked.

"…You guys get out of here," I said. "Leave and never let anyone know you were in the 13th Order. I'll take care of Xemnas and Saïx,"

After some hesitation, the others agreed. After they left, I turned and face the elevator…Now…I need to get to Sora before they hurt him…but how…

I hid behind a support beam when I heard people walking in. peeking around the beam, I saw it was Sora—so he wasn't up in the apartment?

That's good…

Right, time to put a stop to all this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

I ran into the apartment building and looked around, but I couldn't see any 13th Order members. I walked in a little further, and my eyes flickered to corner when I could've sworn I saw a shadow.

I walked over toward that corner, when someone came up behind me. I felt a hand cover my mouth, and the person behind me said quietly; "I'm here to help you, okay? When I move my hand, don't shout, don't run away…okay? I'm not going to hurt you,"

He moved his hand, and I turned to face him silently. I gasped—it was the silverette. I took a step back and quickly raised my hands to defend myself if he were going to attack me.

"Calm down, calm down," the silverette said. I wonder what his name is…I hereby dub him Silver. Just for now… "Listen, I'm not with the Order anymore,"

I managed a small laugh. "You expect me to believe that?" My heart was beating faster, knowing that this was a perfect moment to get revenge on the organization that killed my parents and _ruined_ my _life_…But for some reason, it wasn't Silver I wanted to hurt. "Where are your friends?"

"They've left too. I told them to just return to a normal life…but the leader and his most loyal follower are still…Listen, I had nothing to do with your parent's murder. It was Xemnas and Saïx, and now they've gone up to your apartment because they want you dead, too,"

I felt my eyes widen. "They're in my apartment?! Cloud, Squall and Roxas might be up there!" I turned and ran to elevator, not bothering to see if Silver was following me. After about two minutes of kicking the elevator wall, praying for it to go faster, I ran out into the hallway and ran down to my apartment.

When I ran in, the door was already open, but I saw no 13th Order members anywhere.

"Cloud?"

No answer.

"Squall?"

No answer.

"Roxas??"

Finally, I heard movement somewhere to the right of me. I walked cautiously, remembering that I wasn't armed. I had no clue whether Silver had followed me or not, but I couldn't hear any other movement aside from my own foot steps, muffled by the red carpet underfoot.

…My living room has white carpet.

I looked at my feet and saw a small pool of blood. I looked in front of me when I heard someone walking, and saw Roxas leaning against the wall, clutching his side. He smiled when he saw me. "Thank god you're safe…," he said.

"Roxas, what happened?" I asked, walking toward him.

"Two 13th Order members…They--," Roxas cut himself off a coughed loudly. "Attacked us…They're looking for you, Sora…I think they're still in the building,"

"Where are Squall and Cloud?"

"We're right here," I turned around and saw Cloud and Squall emerging from wherever they'd been. Cloud walked over to me quickly and pulled me into a hug. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"You're hurt," I said, pulling away from him. "You're all hurt," It was true, they were all bleeding. "And…the 13th Order…those two members, they're still in the apartment somewhere. You guys need to get out and get to a hospital or something, so that you'll be okay. I…I'm going to sort this out myself,"

"Sora, we should call the police," Squall said. "Then no-one else has to get hurt,"

"No," I said sternly. "If we call the police, the Order members will just run off, and they'll come back some other time. I need to finish this _now_,"

I suddenly understood something; I understood why my friends and brothers had never ditched me because of my broken state…They cared about me, they really did. "You're always looking after me, and making sure I don't get hurt," I said. "Now it's my turn to protect you. Get out of here," I said. Before I saw them leave, I turned and walked out. I needed to find Silver again, because whether I liked it or not, he was the only person that could help me.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

I ran into Silver on the floor below mine.

"Where have you been?" I demanded. Yet I couldn't stay mad at him…something about his eyes. His absolutely beautiful eyes…

"I don't know where you live!" Silver protested. "I went looking for Xemnas and Saïx,"

"Do you have a weapon?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," Silver pulled his gun out. "Do you?"

"No," I said, wishing I'd got a knife or something from my apartment. "You're gonna have to be my protection, understand?" When did I get so demanding?

Silver nodded, which took me by surprise. I hadn't expected him to actually listen to me.

"What does this Xemnas guy look like, then?" I asked.

"Xemnas has long silver hair and Saïx has blue hair with an X shaped scar on his face," Silver said. "Trust me, you can't miss them,"

"How do I know you're not this Xemnas? You have long silver hair," I pointed out.

Silver smirked. "My hair's prettier than his," I felt myself blush slightly, so I turned around.

"Right, we'll start looking this way," I said, and I began to walk. I heard Silver walking behind me. I wasn't comfortable with the fact that someone with a gun was behind me, but I didn't have much of a choice. I felt like Silver wouldn't hurt me anyway…I felt better with him near me, actually.

I heard Silver move quickly and before I knew what was going on I had a gun right next to my head. Silver hadn't moved around me, but he was pointing the gun at something in front of us.

"Woah—we're not gonna hurt you!"

"Demyx?"

"You know them?" Silver asked. When I nodded, he lowered the gun and stood back.

"Sora!" Demyx walked closer. "Roxas called us to tell you that you were gonna stop the 13th Order—isn't that dangerous?!"

"Did Roxas, Cloud and Squall leave the apartment?" I asked.

"No, they called us all here. Roxas said that Axel and he needed to finish something that could help you. Cloud sent me out to make sure you were okay,"

"They need to move!" I snapped. "It's not safe here,"

"They're only after you, Sora," Demyx pointed out. "We'll be fine," he turned around and ran back to the apartment. Apparently, he didn't notice Silver.

I turned to face Silver to make sure he was still there. He was, but he was looking behind him. "I heard something," he said. "Something moved,"

"Ah, there you are," someone said, stepped out of the shadows. It was a 13th Order member—I could tell by the hood covering his face. There was another person behind him. "Good, I see you've caught the boy. All according to plan,"

I turned to Silver after hearing what they said—was it part of their plan for him to trick me and bring me to them?

But I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Silver would do something like that. What am I talking about? He's an Order member! It probably was part of their plan…

"Sora, don't listen to them," Silver said, as if reading my mind. "They're playing with us…the plan never included me capturing and tricking you…," he turned to me, and I could see sincerity in his eyes. "I would never hurt you,"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

I wanted to believe you, Silver, but I don't even know your name. Yet…When I look into your eyes, something tells me that you're not going to hurt me.

Silver turned quickly and pointed the gun at Saïx and Xemnas (or at least, I think it was them). Saïx and Xemnas pulled their guns out and pointed them at us. Realizing we were out numbered, Silver grabbed my wrist and started running.

I could hear the two behind us shooting at us, but I wasn't getting hit. I felt Silver stumble slightly next to me, but he gathered himself up and continued running. We turned a corner and ran down some stairs, and opened a door, and almost ran head on into Axel and Roxas.

"Axel, Roxas!" I said, completely out of breath. Silver hid out of sight so as not to panic Roxas and Axel. "Roxas, are you okay?" I asked, recalling his injury.

"I'm fine," Roxas said. "Listen, Sora…Axel, Vexen and I have been working on something to help fight against the 13th Order for a while now,"

"We finally perfected it," Axel added. "Here,"

Roxas held something out in his hands. When I picked it up, I realized it was a gun. But…it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. "What's this?" I asked.

"It's a special type of gun that the police use," Axel explained. "I managed to get a few pieces from police men. The pieces were broken, but we fixed them. It has lots of settings and they're wicked expensive. The precision is brilliant, and it's hard to miss with this thing,"

"You'll figure out the settings are you go on," Roxas said hurriedly, hearing people running down the stairs. "Good luck. And don't die kay?" Roxas and Axel turned and ran off again.

"Right, we're both armed now," Silver said, looking at the gun in my hands. He kicked open a door to our right and ran out into the hallway, and I followed him.

After a while, we both stopped in the middle of the hallway. I listened for any movement, but I couldn't hear anything aside from a loud ringing in my ears. Silver and I were completely out of breath.

"You okay, Sora?" Silver asked me. I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. A sudden pain shot up my spine—now was not a good time for my back to start hurting again!

"H-hey…," I started. "What's your name?"

"It's not important," Silver replied, going back on the defensive and looking around, making sure no-one else was around. "Sora, once this is all over and Saïx and Xemnas are defeated…are you going to turn me into the police?"

I'd never thought of that. I looked at him and our eyes made contact. "No," I said firmly. "You were a member of 13th Order, true, and 13th Order did a lot of things wrong, and you really should have some sort of punishment, but…I'm not going to turn you in," Not that that made any sense.

Silver nodded, and I swore I saw a faint smile. I wish he'd tell me his name; it's starting to annoy me. "Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Do you really want to know? I mean, what's the point if you're just going to ditch me after all this?" Silver asked me.

"I'm not going to _ditch_ you," I protested. There was no way I could just leave someone so beautiful. "Just tell me your name,"

Silver sighed and lowered his gun. He turned to face me. "Riku,"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

We were both distracted from our conversation when we heard a door open at the end of the hallway. Silver—I mean, _Riku_—turned to face the source of the noise, and quickly started running the opposite direction and I did the same.

Xemnas and Saïx had found us, and they appeared to be getting angry. I heard Riku swear loudly and skid to a halt. As I stopped, I realized why; we'd run right into a dead end.

We both whipped around as Saïx and Xemnas advanced on us, all four of us holding up our guns at the opposing side. I could feel myself shaking, but now was no time to lose concentration. I glanced at Riku, and noticed that he was breathing heavily. I glanced at him to see if he was okay.

Suddenly, I remembered when we were running and Riku had stumbled and nearly fallen. There was blood staining his jeans from the knee down, and I realized something; he'd been shot. He'd been shot but he hadn't told me. He was hurt…

Suddenly, Xemnas shot at us. Riku pushed me out of the way and Saïx took this moment to kick Riku's gun out of his hands. Riku backed up against the wall and I stood in front of him, raising the gun to Saïx and Xemnas.

"Sora Strife, I presume?" Xemnas asked, smirking. Neither of them had lowered their guns.

"Yes," I replied. "I'm Sora Strife…and you killed my parents,"

"So what are you going to do?" Saïx asked. "Take revenge on us? What about Riku over there? He's 13th Order as well,"

"No anymore," I said sternly. "And yes, I _am_ going to take revenge on you,"

"What are you going to do?" Xemnas asked tauntingly. "Kill me?"

Suddenly I felt myself fill up with anger. The two people in front of my have killed countless people, including my parents. It's their fault I'm such a burden to my brothers, and it's their fault I'm broken. They'll be killed if I hand them over to the police.

I couldn't think clearly, all I knew it that Riku's hand had found my left hand, my right hand tightened around the gun and I hear Saïx and Xemnas laugh cruelly. I couldn't think straight, all I knew is that if I didn't do anything, I was going to be killed. And they'd probably kill Riku…My mind was clouded with anger and thoughts of revenge. I ripped my hand out of Riku's grasp and held up the gun with both my hands.

And I shot.

A single blast rang through the air, followed by complete silence. I think I was in shock, and possibly Riku was too. Saïx was taken by surprise, and Xemnas…

Well…he had a hole through his skull. He fell to the ground, blood forming around his head. Saïx paled and dropped his gun, turning to me in surprise.

Then it processed—I'd just killed the leader of the 13th Order.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Saïx turned and ran away like a coward, but Riku and I opted not to chase him. I heard my gun fall to the ground with a clatter and Riku stood in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I made eye contact with him, and then I started laughing; a high pitched, unnatural giggle. "Bang, bang," I said, my voice higher than usual. "Bang, bang, Xemnas is dead,"

"Sora, calm down," Riku told me in a stern voice. "Everything's okay, you're going to be alright,"

"Bang, Bang," I chanted again. I started giggling once more. Hahaha, Xemnas was dead! I'd killed him, one single shot and BOOM! Ding, dong, the witch is dead, la la la la la he's dead!

Riku's expression clearly read 'what do I do?' I just giggled. I don't know what was wrong with me, but my mind was _completely_ muddled up. I felt the wall collide with my back, and Riku pressed down on my shoulders, keeping me there.

"Sora, calm down," he said.

I glanced down at Xemnas, with the blood around his head. Heehee, blood I spilt…bang, bang, through the head, bang, bang, guess what? You're dead! Ha!

Riku suddenly move forward, and the next thing I knew, Riku's lips were pressed against mine.

Everything in my mind suddenly fell back into place, and before I knew it, Riku had pulled away. "S-sorry…," he said quietly.

My mind had been pulled together suddenly. I'd killed Xemnas and Saïx had run away. Riku hadn't moved his hands from my shoulders, but he wasn't making eye contact. He was staring at the wall behind me. I move forward and kissed him, taking him by surprise.

When I pulled away, Riku was staring at me. "Riku," I started. "You saved my life," I smiled. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead. From the moment I saw you, I knew you couldn't be like the members that killed my parents. I know you're still an ex-Order member, but…I don't care about that. I love you,"

Riku was silent for a few moments, then he smiled back at me. "I love you too,"

We both turned around when we heard people running toward us. Then I realized who it was—it was my brothers and my friends.

"Sora!!" Cloud skidded to a halt in front of us. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?"

"More importantly, how did the gun work out?" Axel and Roxas asked in unison. I pointed down at Xemnas.

"See for yourself," I commented.

Axel and Roxas high-fived each other and picked up the gun from the floor where it'd fallen. Zexion had gone pale, and I suddenly remembered how he's very squeamish around blood. Cloud suddenly noticed Riku, who was standing behind me.

"Who's he?" Cloud demanded.

"This is Riku," I said. "He helped me,"

We heard sirens outside, and Squall went out to get them and bring them to the body. He figured that since it was out of self-defense I'd be fine; plus, it _was_ the leader of the 13th Order. Axel and Roxas were talking about some technical stuff I didn't understand, Demyx was trying to make Zexion feel better, Cloud was talking with Riku and I was talking to Kairi. Then I suddenly remembered something.

"Riku," I turned to him. "You need to get medical attention," He glanced down at his leg, as if just remembering he'd been shot.

"Oh, right," he said.

"I barely know you…," Cloud started. "But you saved Sora, so I trust you," That actually amazed me. Cloud never trusted any of my friends when I first met them, and he definitely didn't trust Zexion for some odd reason. Yet suddenly, it's like poof! I've known you for five seconds but sure, date my brother!

…Did I just say 'date'?

I hope so, I thought to myself as I smiled at Riku.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

-Three Months Later-

Kairi, Axel, Roxas, Demyx, Zexion, Cloud, Squall and I were all sat in my living room, talking about nothing in particular. Since the disappearance of the 13th Order, things have improved. Plus, my brothers and I can actually afford a house now, so we don't live in that apartment. I still go there occasionally, because it means a lot to me.

Everyone lives out their day now believing what the news told them—all of the members of the 13th Order are dead. I know otherwise, of course…Only one member is actually dead; the leader. Which brings me a conversation Riku and I (we're dating now) had a while ago. Saïx, Xemnas's most loyal follower, will probably be aiming to get revenge on me because of Xemnas's death. Riku promised he'd help me if that time ever arises.

"Hey, guess what I heard the other day," Roxas said. "Apparently in that apartment building we used to live in, there was a girl who was murdered there,"

"Oh really?" Axel asked.

"Yeah," Roxas continued. "She was our age, and she lived there a few years ago, about a year or so before we were born. Her parents were dead and she lived with her brother who was a year older than her…but her brother went Ker-snap and murdered her,"

"That's horrible!" Kairi commented. "Who was her brother?"

"Xemnas," Roxas said. "The leader of the 13th Order. I always thought he had a mental problem,"

"What was the girl's name?" Demyx asked.

"Uhm...Naminé, I think," Roxas said. "She had blonde hair…but that's all I heard,"

I stood up suddenly, taking everyone off guard. "Where're you going?" Cloud asked me.

"For a walk," I said. "I need to get some fresh air," I turned and walked out, aware of Riku following me. I walked out of my house and toward my old apartment building. No-one lives there anymore, since they all moved out, but they're not planning to do anything with it so I just hang out there sometimes.

Riku walked next to me without saying a word, and held my hand. He really didn't have to say anything, anyway. My life has become so much better since I met Riku. My mental state has progressed, my nightmares have stopped…

I turned and kissed Riku on the cheek lightly, before telling him I wanted to be alone for a few minutes. He smiled at me and turned back to my house.

I walked into the dark parking lot of the old apartment, and saw what I was looking for immediately.

The blonde girl was stood a few feet from me, wearing her usual blank expression. I hadn't told anyone about seeing her before the whole 13th Order ordeal (as Cloud so puts it).

"Naminé," I said, guessing her name. A small, soft smile broke through her usual blank expression, and she nodded in response. "You helped me out three months ago. You helped me because you wanted someone to stop your brother. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are, Sora," she said. "I usually don't like violence, but my brother had to be stopped," suddenly, a small trail of blood started running from her forehead down to her neck. "He killed me that night, and I never forgave him…You were the only person who could stop him," more blood appeared on her shoulder. "Thank you, Sora,"

"Naminé…what happened that night? When he killed you, I mean," I asked. Squall always said that I got the guts when it comes to Roxas and me. I guess that's why I can stand talking to a bleeding ghost without freaking out.

Naminé just smiled at me, and the blood was suddenly gone. "It's not important," she said. "Sora, you must be prepared. The road ahead will be difficult, but I'm sure you'll be okay if you're ready for it,"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's not over yet,"


End file.
